People who are addicted to the internet may experience some of the following effects:
-Poor impulse control: being unable to stop visiting websites, clicking links or checking emails.
-Procrastination: a person may regularly perform activities such as website browsing or online gaming to avoid doing important tasks such as starting an essay or making a difficult phone call.
-Avoiding family and friends (reduction in social life): people who become addicted to the internet often go out less frequently and interact with their friends and family less and less overtime.
-Lower productivity: this links with procrastination. People who are addicted to the internet are likely to have lower rates of productivity as they put off doing their work and are unable to focus on the work at hand, becoming easily distracted.
-Time distortion: aimless web surfing or play online games is common among internet addicts who may find that time passes rapidly whilst doing these activities. Internet addicts become so wrapped up in what they are doing online they fail to notice all the time that has gone by.